A few weeks ago an article spread like wildfire in the Twittersphere declaring the “the social media manager is dead”. I couldn’t disagree more. The social media manager isn’t dead; the role is just evolving and maturing. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering social media is an industry that is still relatively new and one that is always changing.
Here’s why I think the article was misleading / wrong:
1. Social media needs a centralized person.
Every brand needs a centralized point of contact to oversee the overall social media strategy and ensure all the pieces of the puzzle work together to tell a cohesive brand story. The worst thing a brand can do is have a fragmented social media strategy. You need a social media brand keeper. Period.
Additionally, social media is a lot to keep up with. I’ve been in roles before where social media was just a component of my job, and honestly, I couldn’t keep up with the industry. If social media is a priority for an organization, they need to have someone who is staying up to date on the latest trends and educating the staff.